History of Cricket: Early Cricket (before 1799)

History of Cricket: Early Cricket (before 1799)

Cricket At The Artillery Range

Experts agree that cricket may have been invented during Saxon or Norman times by children living in Weald, a region of dense woods and glades in the southeast of England. The first mention of it being played as a sport dates back to 1611, the same year a dictionary defined cricket as a boys' sport. There is also the idea that cricket was derived from the bowl by interventions that tried to prevent batsmen from hitting the ball and reaching the goal. The first British 'county team' was formed as 'local experts' were hired as the first professionals. The first known game in which teams used county names was played in 1709.

Early Village Cricket


In the early 18th century, cricket established itself as a major sport in London and the South East of England. Its spread was limited by travel restrictions, but it slowly gained popularity in other parts of England, and women's cricket dates back to 1745, when the first game was played in Surrey. The first rule was written in 1744 and changed in 1774 when lbw, the third stump, i.e. middle stump and maximum butt width, was added. The code was created by the Star and Garter Club, whose members eventually he founded the famous Marylebone Cricket Club at Lords in 1787. The MCC soon became the custodian of the law and has amended it ever since.
First Cases of Cricket


Rolling the ball across the ground was replaced after 1760 when bowlers started throwing the ball. In response to this innovation, the straight his stick replaced the old "hockey stick" style stick. Hampshire's Hambledon Club was the center of the game for some thirty years until the formation of the MCC and the opening of Lord's His Cricket Ground in 1787.

Cricket was introduced to North America through the British colonies in the 17th century. And in the 18th century it spread to other parts of the world. It was introduced to the West Indies by settlers and to India by sailors of the British East India Company. It spread to Australia almost as fast as colonization began in 1788, then to New Zealand and South Africa in the early 1800s.

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